The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville, TN · Public · Midsize city · Carnegie R1/R2 · UTK
Public institution in Knoxville, TN · 28,763 undergraduates · 46% acceptance rate · $60,249 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 3%Undergraduates
- Top 12%Full-time retention
- Top 14%Acceptance rate
- Top 16%Graduation rate (4-year)
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $18,109903rd cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $13,484864th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $31,9741,324th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $32,6581,025th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $20,500685th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $60,249531st highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $47,782674th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 73.5%329th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 91.1%219th highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 46.0%228th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1304188th highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 28177th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 28,76360th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 18.0:11,713th smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 20.7%1,685th highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 154 mi (BNA)
On 2 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDDec 15
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $75
- Personal essay
- Required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 93 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $70,456 | $69,338 |
| Mechanical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $69,490 | $66,377 |
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $68,331 | $69,338 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $67,450 | $65,387 |
| Nuclear EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $62,409 | $75,204 |
| Chemical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $60,185 | $66,653 |
| Civil EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $57,637 | $56,901 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $53,839 | $52,584 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBusiness | bachelors | $53,005 | $55,590 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $51,690 | $45,794 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $50,970 | $50,105 |
| Biomedical/Medical EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $50,270 | $53,358 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1794source
- Athletic nickname: "Volunteers"source
- Mascot: Smokeysource
- Neyland Stadium seats about 102,455source
- Competes in NCAA Division Isource
- School colors: Orange and Whitesource
- Motto: "(Latin)"source
- Formerly known as "Blount College" (1794–1807)source
- Formerly known as "East Tennessee College" (1807–1840)source
- Formerly known as "East Tennessee University" (1840–1879)source
- Athletic conference: FBSsource
- Notable alum: Oprah Winfreysource
- Notable alum: Kurt Vonnegutsource
- Notable alum: Huell Howsersource
- Notable alum: Cormac McCarthysource
- Notable alum: James M. Buchanansource
Athletics — 11 sports
NCAA Division I-FBS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $23,708,468 (M $12,260,488 · W $11,447,980)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Rowing
- Soccer
- Softball
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
- Baseball: 2024
- Basketball: 2008, 2007
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websiteutk.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 221759)
- Compare colleges in TNRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in TennesseeEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: The University of Tennessee-Knoxville vs Middle Tennessee State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 11 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.